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Times Record All-Area Basketball Team Player Capsules

BOYS

Josh Berard, Northside

Class: Senior

Height: 6-2

Stats: Averaged 19.6 points and 9.7 rebounds. Named All-State and All 7A-West.

“I hate to say this, but he made unbelievable shots over and over and over. Josh is the best slasher I think I’ve coached in 19 years. Whether you are 7-foot, 6-5 or 6-2, he can do something to score on you.” — Northside coach Eric Burnett

Dee Candelaria, Alma

Class: Senior

Height: 5-11

Stats: Candelaria scored 351 points, connecting on 35 percent from 3-point range and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line. He was selected All-State.

Stats: Averaged 16.1 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the floor and 70 percent at the free-throw line.

Awards: Named All-State from a 31-4 regional champion team.

“He was very physical and always played extremely hard. His play set the tone for our whole team. We never lost a post battle all year when he was in there, and that is big.” — Cedarville coach Andrew Tencleve

Deven Goodwin, Van Buren

Class: Senior

Height: 6-2

Stats: Averaged 18.1 points, three rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Named All-State and All-State Tournament and was voted the second-best player in the 7A/6A-Central.

“Devin was a three-year starter for us. He was as good as any point guard in the state the last half of the year. He averaged over 24 points per game during that stretch and was a tremendous leader for our team.” — Van Buren coach Randy Loyd

Nate Hamilton, Muldrow

Class: Junior

Height: 6-0

Stats: Averaged 19.7 points, four rebounds, two assists and 2.5 steals per game. Also shot 50 percent from the floor, 43 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line.

“Nate is the unquestioned leader of our team. He consistently puts points on the board, does an outstanding job of distributing the ball and is a tenacious defender. What really separates Nate from other players is his competitiveness and physical toughness. He also has that rare ability to bring out those qualities in his teammates.” — Muldrow coach Randy Martin

Ryan Lensing, Greenwood

Class: Senior

Height: 6-3

Stats: Lensing led the team in scoring with a 17.2 points-per-game average and 6.0 rebounds per game. Lensing was selected All-State and All-Tournament.

“Ryan’s been our leading scorer the last three years. He’s been a special part of this team for three years. He’s a great kid with great character. He’s a team player.” — Greenwood coach Brian Martin

Devon Perry, Spiro

Class: Senior

Height: 6-0

Stats: Averaged 14.6 points and seven rebounds per game. Was also named the MVP during Spiro’s run to the LeFlore County Tournament championship.

“He was one of our best players on both ends of the court. He scored, rebounded and defended. He made big plays all year when we needed them.” — Spiro coach Dustin Gist

Robbie Raggio, Charleston

Class: Senior

Height: 6-3

Stats: Averaged 17.5 points and eight rebounds.

Awards: As a senior, he was named the MVP of 3A-4 and All-State.

“Robbie is a guy that just loves basketball. He loves it like you do when you are a little kid and you first start playing. He was our most consistent scorer and he had half a dozen games where he just went unconscious and got a bunch of points in a short time.” — Charleston coach Randy Terry

Dushuan Rice, Southside

Class: Senior

Height: 6-1

Stats: Averaged 17.1 points per game. Named All-State and All 7A-West.

“He gave us a (shooting) guard that we were really missing from this team. He’s very quick off the dribble, and once he gets past people he does a really good job of scoring.” — Southside coach Charlie Cooper

“I thought he became a team player. We discussed a lot of times in practice where if each individual can’t make anybody better, they’re not a very good team player and he made our whole team better this year. He grew up and I feel like this is the first team effort we’ve had.” — Pocola coach Eric Ladd

Awards: Named All-State and All-Conference. Led team to 31-3 record and 2A State Tournament semifinals.

“She is everything you want a basketball player to be. She’s a natural leader and more or less a coach on the floor. She works hard in practice, is a great teammate, a 4.0 student and made a 28 on her ACT.” — Mountainburg coach Dan Garringer

Megan Brown, Howe

Class: Senior

Height: 5-7

Stats: Averaged 15.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. She shot 52 percent from the floor, 49 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line.

“Megan (came through) this year and added the ability to drive to the basket and score. She also provided the consistent presence from the 3-point line that gave us balance with our post players in the lane.” — Howe coach Chris Brown

“She had an outstanding season. She was very, very unproven coming in but knew she had the ability from practice. She continued to step up and never have I had a kid score 27 points in a half, especially in the second half of the (7A State Tournament) semifinals.” — Northside coach Rickey Smith

Haley Donald, Greenwood

Class: Senior

Height: 5-7

Stats: Donald was the team’s defensive specialist and was third on the team with 123 rebounds and 42 steals. She was named All-State and to the 5A All-State Tournament team.

“She’s a great competitor. She’s always going to give you 100 percent on the floor. Her competitiveness, her hustle, her heart, her defense and her rebounding were her strengths.” — Greenwood coach Clay Reeves

Kealsie Frazier, Mulberry

Class: Junior

Height: 5-8

Stats: Averaged 14 points, 8.5 rebounds per game, three assists and three steals per game.

Awards: All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament teams. Mulberry was 27-6 and made the A State Tournament.

“She is a very versatile player. She can play down in the post, she hits the boards and she can step out on the perimeter and handle the ball and shoot it. She was very valuable and gave the other teams a tough matchup to guard because she can do it all.” — Mulberry coach Jim Anderson

Emily Jones, Southside

Class: Junior

Height: 5-9

Stats: Averaged 13.4 points per game. Named All-State and All-7A-West.

“Emily really stepped up and added to her game. She really became a 3-point threat for us, as well as a good inside player. She’s hard to guard.” — Southside coach Sherry White

Philicea Mack, Spiro

Class: Sophomore

Height: 5-10

Stats: Averaged 14.3 points and 10 rebounds per game.

“Philicea is a hard worker and our go-to girl. When she had the ball, we play better as a team. She is a team player and had a desire to work hard and win. She knows there is a ton of pressure on her and does her best to perform to her best.” — Spiro coach Kayla Carrington-Martin

Halee Sharp, Muldrow

Class: Junior

Height: 5-9

Stats: Averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game. Also averaged two steals and 1.5 assists while shooting 36 percent from 3-point range and 63 percent from the free-throw line.

“Halee had an outstanding junior year. She worked hard in the offseason to improve her game. She handles pressure well and will be counted on heavily next year to lead our team.” — Muldrow coach Jana Armer

Katherine West, Charleston

Class: Senior

Height: 5-6.

Stats: Averaged 14.8 points and 6 assists per game.

Awards: Named All-State as point guard on a 26-2 team. Committed to Ouachita Baptist University.

“Every night we could count on her to keep us competitive with anybody we played. She led by example with her effort and her work ethic. She could score when we needed her too or distribute the ball when we needed her too, she pretty much did whatever we asked her to do.” — Charleston coach Jason Rucker

Lundon Williams, Greenwood

Class: Sophomore

Height: 5-6

Stats: Williams led the state champion and 27-4 Lady Bulldogs with 407 points and 147 assists. Williams was the MVP of the 5A State Championship Game and was named All-State.

“She’s a really good point guard. She’s smart, she handles the ball, she’s a great passer. She can also recognize the opportunity where she needs to take the shot. She’s a total player.” — Greenwood coach Clay Reeves